PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS. 81 



left too long the cuttings grow up weak for want of room, 

 the roots, which become hard and woody, do not strike 

 freely into the soil, greater care is required in shading and 

 watering after potting, and the plant usually loses its 

 lower leaves, weakening its vitality, and subjecting it to 

 a greater chance of disease. With but few exceptions, 

 cuttings should never be potted into pots exceeding 2^ 

 inches in diameter ; the infant plant in its transition state 

 has as yet but limited vitality, and should not be gorged 

 with food. The soil used should be sifted fine, through a 

 sieve with meshes something less than J of an inch in diam- 

 eter ; thus fine, it is more congenial to the roots, delicate 

 as yet, and besides, it is more easily and quickly used in the 

 operation of potting. After potting they should be set on 

 a bench covered with an inch or two of sand, and freely 

 watered with a fine rose watering-pot, and for two or 

 three days treated -exactly, in shading and watering, as if 

 they were yet in the propagating bed. If at this stage 

 they are allowed to wilt from drying, or excess of heat, 

 feeble and sickly plants will be the result. 



The preceding method is that in use in most of the large 

 florists' establishments in the vicinity of New York, and 

 is applicable wherever there are regular propagating 

 and plant houses ; but as there are hundreds of amateur 

 florists having, perhaps, only one green-house, and thou- 

 sands who have no green-house at all, who would gladly 

 know how to increase their plants, to these we can detail 

 a simple method, yet one equally effective and safe. This 

 method has already been described by me in several of 

 our horticultural periodicals, and I can now offer nothing 

 new on the subject. It is called the 



"SAUCER SYSTEM" OF PROPAGATING, 



because saucers or plates are used to hold the sand in 

 which the cuttings are placed. This sand is put in to the 

 depth of an inch or so, and the cuttings inserted in it close 

 4* 



